Sunday, 24 May 2009

Timing Is Everything, and Mine is Rubbish

If I had started this blog 3 days ago, I would have been able to write my first post as a body lay under a sheet in the next door neighbour's garden, and I was being interviewed by the police. Sadly, this post will be much more prosaic.

"Donna," I said to myself, "It's about time you got into this blogging malarkey."

"Really?" I said back to myself, munching on a Hob-Nob, "don't you think that everyone else does it so much better?"

"Well, there is that," I said, giving myself a glare. "But you could be a little more supportive here."

I shrugged, and said to myself "So, what's it going to be about anyway, this so-called blog of yours?"

"Well, I thought I might make it about Scottish crime fiction - you know - news, reviews, interviews, books set in Scotland, authors from Scotland...and other stuff."

"And does 'other stuff'mean any old nonsense that you get the urge to write about, even if it's total rubbish?"

So, there you have it. Welcome to Badsville. Please let me know if I have missed out any Scottish authors, or authors with books set primarily in Scotland, because I know I don't have them all. There were some authors I couldn't find websites for so I've not included them. And if there's anything you'd like to see, please let me know. And if you want a Hob-Nob, just let me know that too - I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck with this blog, Donna. I read that you are talking to yourself which is a good start and the odd body next door helps as well. Will your be covering other great Scottish writers of fiction such as Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Alistair Darling.

Cheers all - I'm hoping to have fun and thank you for visiting. I shall try and make it interesting enough for you to come back from time to time. Norm - suggestions noted - ta muchly. Russel - emergency Hob-Nobs on way. Watch out for the helicopter

Welcome to the blogosphere ~ especially the crime fiction nook. Looking forward to hearing more. I've enjoyed Peter Turnbull and Ian Rankin (along with everyone else) and Scottish author Gerald Hammond (The Keith Calder mystereis among many, many others has been a friend and correspondent for two decades.

I'm following you here from Crimespace and Facebook, I admit, but I swear I'm not a stalker. I mean, I live on the other side of the pond. And though my last name is German, my two grandmothers were named McKee and Scott, so genetically I write Scottish crime fiction. Sort of.

There's also Pat Sweet who wrote TROUBLED WATERS a while back and AFAIK never wrote anything else. And The Sisters Whatstheirface who wrote that twee Scottish cosy I chucked at the wall after thirty pages last year

Thanks all :o)Jack - I'd like to see a certified copy of your family tree please :o)Tim - have added Kate Atkinson - thank you. I'd love to claim Ken, but not sure he would thank me!Jim - I looked for Pat Sweet, but can find nothing remotely resembling a web page :o(John - LOL - I will add a special category of linksJools - biccies incoming.

Hello Bonnie. Jetted over from Peter Rozovsky's blog and wanted to wish you the very best! And now I have a way to vicariously visit Bonnie Scotland again as I've lived in Edinburgh for nearly a year in 1985. It truly was one of the highlights of my life! The most wonderful and gregarious people! Am looking forward to revisiting, Bonnie. Petra :))

Very attractive blog, interesting content, but how can you mention a body under a sheet in the garden and you helping the police with their inquiries and nothing more? We call that "one shoe dropping" over here.

Oh, that explains it. Thanks. My older son had a similar experience when the tenant above him decided to off himself one day. Or perhaps he OD'd. The officers didn't say. Probably because they didn't know. But they did block the stairwell with that yellow tape. After removing the remains.

Hey Donna,Gee, I got here via a couple of links off a pulp blog located in the Philippines. How weird is that! Your introductory post is fun and you write really well (oh and your photo is really nice too. Are you married? No, don't answer that, I live on the other side of the big water anyway). I like old hard-boiled crime fiction so actually your blog is about stuff that's waaay too new for me... HOWEVER... I wanted to comment on your blog title: I see you don't have The Cramps among your fave bands? Shame on you girlie! You used the title from that fave LP of theirs and didn't even mention it, LOL. Btw (maybe I would know this if I'd read thru all your posts but, well, I haven't) is crime fiction only a hobby for you or is it somehow something you do for a living, as a writer or reviewer or something?Anyway, I'm rambling. Best of luck with the blog.

Thank you, kind sir, for your lovely comments, you rascal :o) I love the old stuff too. In fact, there's a feature on a number of blogs called Friday's Forgotten Books in which I am going to participate every 2 or 3 weeks. My most recent entry was this one:http://bigbeatfrombadsville.blogspot.com/2009/08/fridays-forgotten-books-walk-dark.htmlI have a small but perfectly formed pile of Gold Medal paperbacks and the like - Day Keene, Peter Rabe, my favourite - Richard S Prather. One of my favourites is Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham - which is way darker than the film (which I also love). The Cramps! Of COURSE they are one of my favourite bands (hence the blog title - and I saw them in the early 80s too - they were amazing) so I went and looked at my list on my profile and somehow loads of favourites have disappeared. Like you, I love punk (but mines is the UK late 70s version :o)). I see you have the Ministry on your list - I love Jesus Built My Hotrod. So I have updated my list and hope they stay there this time :o)

You HAVEN'T read through all my posts? Shame on you, sir! Just kidding - that would be torture beyond everything. I do write. My second book is coming out next year.

Anyway, thank your for stopping by and for your kind words - made my day - and I hope you will visit again. Well, if you don't you won't see my reply will you? :o)

Well, I might not have seen your reply if it hadn't been for the fact that you were so nice as to leave a message on my own blog, LOL. And thank you for that, Donna, I appreciate that. Don't you just hate it when people don't get back to you, LOL.

You love The Cramps! Good onya!!! I saw them too, not in 1980 but a decade later. I'm sure you've learnt the sad news of Lux Interior's passing a couple of months back. Heartbreaking!

And you love punk and you live with migraines! Gee, are you a female version of me!? Haha. Unfortunately, I've had migraines since I was five (I fell off a plastic scooter). I don't think I went on one single school excursion without getting sick :-(Oh well, that's life.

Hey I read your 'Walk the Dark Streets' review. Good stuff. And you mentioned The Cramps in the comments section; you ARE a fan. LOL. Maybe I SHOULD drop by once in a while after all. :D

All the bestJack

PS: Gee, you're a published writer! Wauw. Congrats! I'm afraid I haven't quite accomplished that ... altho I did publish a fanzine called 'Stay Sick!' years ago. LOL.

Welcome to Badsville

This here's Badsville - the home of Scottish crime fiction - news, interviews, reviews, book-related stuff, non book-related stuff, and any other random nonsense that takes my fancy (there, that should stop me getting done under the Trade Descriptions Act). It will focus on Scottish crime fiction authors, crime fiction books set in Scotland, and authors who have a great great-uncle twice removed who may once have played football for Scotland. But it will also cover anything else that tickles my fancy because...well, because I can.

The list of authors includes all those I could find websites for. If I've missed anyone off the list, please let me know. If you want to be interviewed (you mad fool) again, please let me know. And...well, that's about it really.

"It's all hilarious and exhausting; you can't help but love The Old Dogs" Shelf Awareness

"The way she orchestrates her comic set-pieces is nothing short of genius and designed to eke out every last piece of humour." Crimesquad

"...All of the action points toward the trainwreck of heist attempts, but Moore gives us much more, continuing the action (and the fun) long after the heist itself..." International Noir Fiction

"...a heist caper, a modern farce, an adventure, a Carry-On movie on acid. The twists and turns are impossible to predict and it is to her credit that no matter how ridiculous the sets of events might be she manages to make them seem entirely credible, in part because the motives of all those who inhabit the book are so deeply believable." Sea Minor

"Donna Moore is a master at creating colourful characters and putting them into laugh out loud situations. Combine that with strong dialogue and tight pacing, and you've got yourself a brilliant book well worth the read." I Love A Good Mystery

Currently Listening To

Catchy, reverby, retro indie pop. A cheerier and less edgy version of Jesus and Mary Chain mixed in with Wreckless Eric and the enrgy of The Ramones. Nothing that will revolutionise indie music, but just really great fun, dance around the living room tunes that are feelgood and upbeat. Favourite tracks - IF YOU WANNA, BLOW IT UP and WRECKIN' BAR (RA RA RA).

Psychedelic throbbing guitar noise, very 60s, a little like an indie rock version of The Doors. Sludgy, moody, a little bit creepy in places. Favourite tracks - BAD VIBRATIONS and HAUNTING AT 1300 MCKINLEY. Although this album doesn't have my favourite Black Angels track - that's this one - BLOODHOUNDS ON MY TRAIL.

Compilation album of Violent Feemes tracks from 1981-1993 this has been one of my favourite albums for ages. With so many UK bands mixing indie and folk and ending up sounding naff and twee and really annoying, the Violent Femmes do the whole punk/country/folk thing superbly. And I love Gordon Gano's voice. Favourite tracks GONE DADDY GONE, 36-24-36, AMERICAN MUSIC and the utterly brilliant and eerie COUNTRY DEATH SONG (about as noir as it gets).